Nick's Seafood Restaurant & Bar (Sydney, AUSTRALIA) ★★☆☆☆

I was going to spend the remaining hours of my trip at Darling Harbour admiring the sweeping view of the harbour but rain was pouring down so hard that it took all the fun away.



I picked yesterday's lunch venue (Automata) so it's someone else's turn to pick and we ended up having seafood at Nick's Restaurant & Bar this afternoon. I guess that's not a bad choice considering we didn't make it to the fisherman's wharf for seafood on this trip.



I had no objection having our lunch here although all the large tour groups that the restaurant has been entertaining could have done a better job keeping the noise down (Photo taken before the tour groups arrived). This is the reason why I never go to restaurants that deal with tour groups.



Nick's seafood chowder (AUD16) - And we started off on the wrong foot with Nick's seafood chowder. A namesake chowder that didn't really get a passing grade from all of us. Yes, there were a lot of mussels in there but that's all the good things I could write about it.



Mornay Sydney Rock oysters (half dozen - AUD20) - Not bad but at the same time, not mind blowing like those I've had back in Vancouver down at Lonsdale Quay.



Kilpatrick Sydney Rock oysters (half dozen - AUD20) - Much better than the Mornay in my opinion. Same oysters, just that I like the creamy and cheesy one a little more (Again not mind blowing as I expected the oysters to be a little fatter).



Prawns and chorizo spaghetti with pesto sauce (AUD?) - This came with a set so I had no idea how much that would cost us individually (as it's not available on the a la carte menu). I thought the prawns and chorizo were fine but the pasta was badly overcooked and the pesto sauce.....let's not even go into that.



Fish and chips (AUD36) - Probably the only dish that all of us did enjoy. Very nice, crispy batter and I like the firm texture and distinctly sweet flavors of the snapper fillet. Always good not to pepper this with salt and seasoning.



The longer I sat here, the more I realized how much of a tourist restaurant it was (trap?). Would I come back again in the near future? Very unlikely.





Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: The Promenade, Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney, Australia
Tel: +61 1300-989-989
Website: www.nicks-seafood.com.au